Passage

Proverbs 17.22

Book: Proverbs · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

20. He that hath a wayward heart findeth no good; And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. 21. He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow; And the father of a fool hath no joy.

22. A cheerful heart is a good medicine; But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.

A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom, To pervert the ways of justice. 24. Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding; But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth. (Proverbs 17:20-24, ASV)

WEB

20. One who has a perverse heart doesn’t find prosperity, and one who has a deceitful tongue falls into trouble. 21. He who becomes the father of a fool grieves. The father of a fool has no joy.

22. A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

A wicked man receives a bribe in secret, to pervert the ways of justice. 24. Wisdom is before the face of one who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth. (Proverbs 17:20-24, WEB)

KJV

20. He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. ^{He that hath a froward: Heb. The froward of heart} 21. He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.

22. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. ^{like: or, to}

A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment. 24. Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth. (Proverbs 17:20-24, KJV)

YLT

20. The perverse of heart findeth not good, And the turned in his tongue falleth into evil. 21. Whoso is begetting a fool hath affliction for it, Yea, the father of a fool rejoiceth not.

22. A rejoicing heart doth good to the body, And a smitten spirit drieth the bone.

A bribe from the bosom the wicked taketh, To turn aside the paths of judgment. 24. The face of the intelligent [is] to wisdom, And the eyes of a fool, at the end of the earth. (Proverbs 17:20-24, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: TBD
Audience: TBD
Location: TBD
Time period: TBD

Theological reading

Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

H7307 - ruach, ruach, Strong's H7307
H3820 - lev, lev, Strong's H3820

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Argument from the Anomalous Humor Convergence

Lexicon:

H3824 - lebab

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.